The promised date for Samsung Galaxy S2 to get the official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) has come but it seems like only AT&T customers in the US and Rogers’ subscribers in Canada are the only ones to have gotten their hands on it. GS2 owners who have successfully updated their handsets claimed that the update wasn’t pushed over the air, rather Samsung KIES application is needed to carry on the update.

While thousands, if not millions, of Samsung Galaxy S2 owners have already tried flashing custom ROMs based on Android ICS, there is no better way to get the device updated than having to use the official firmware from Samsung. Besides, doing the manual flashing with custom firmware would void the warranty and there is just a greater risk that the handset becomes inoperable if things don’t happen the way they are expected.

People always think that custom ROMs actually offer better features, but for those who don’t have the stomach to do the risky process should have been waiting so long for this update to come. The good news is, the official ICS firmware offers major upgrades, improvements and enhancements together with tons of new features. Here are some of them.

Input Text Improvement. According to those who have already updated their device, Text Input in ICS is a lot faster than the previous version.

Face Unlock. This is a new added feature for the handset. While it is not new for Android users, it’s something GS2 owners would be thankful for. Although swiping is the fastest way to unlock the screen, it is sometimes cooler to unlock your phone with your face.

Smooth Scrolling. Among the minor problems users were complaining with their Gingerbread-operated GS2 was that the scrolling was not as smoother as everyone expected. Samsung made it a point to correct the problem with ICS update, though.

Stability Improvements. Google confirmed that ICS is more stable than GB and that’s exactly the feature that most GS2 owners appreciate. With this, battery life is also improved.

Unlike over-the-air update, you will need to download Samsung KIES to be able to pull the update down and apply it to your device. The process is easier than you think as long as you follow on-screen instructions.

Note: As posted in Samsung website, KIES will be under maintenance Friday, June 22, from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. CST. You may have difficulty pulling down firmware updates during this time.
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